How does one combat willful ignorance?

[Northern Skies]

Personally, I view religion as the next hurdle in our evolution, and that our survival as a species probably depends on it. Faith is the belief in something in the absence of evidence. It is by definition, ignorance. The proper response for ignorance is education.

No matter how you present scientific facts to a religious person, they almost always metaphorically stick their fingers in their ears and go "la la la la la" often followed by a scripture quote. This is what willful ignorance looks like.

I am not aggressive towards ignorant people. Most of the time, it's not their fault. They just didn't know. I have a lot of respect for people who are willing to be educated or can educate themselves. An open mind.

I have zero tolerance and no respect for the willfully ignorant. Willful ignorance is the conscious, deliberate choice to avoid, ignore, or reject readily available information because it contradicts personal beliefs or requires unwanted action. How does one combat willful ignorance? It makes me want to be aggressive but the problem with that is that response will only be met with hostility and they only bury themselves further into their delusions.